The map was laid out on the ground with rocks on the corners to prevent it from rolling. Many sections and places were circled in red ink with notes in any open space; paths were traced over the entire thing. It was all very overwhelming to Ron, Hermione and Ginny. Harry was speaking quickly, flipping through the tattered book he held in his left hand and jabbing at the map as he went.

"Lot of spare time, mate?" Ron said. Harry ignored his remark and kept going.

"Alright. So I think the first thing we have to do is determine the location of another Horcrux. And I think it would be a good idea to find out some more about R.A.B."

"Who?" Ginny was confused, Harry had never told her about that night with Dumbledore and the note they found with the fake Horcrux. He sighed deeply, he didn't want to have to relive that night again. But for Ginny he would. He went on to explain the ordeal. He was holding in all emotion, he refused to think about that night. He told the story with a blank complacency that told made his sadness evident. A somber atmosphere fell on the group. Ginny looked shocked, she didn't know what to say.

"Anyway, we need to find out more about him."

"But Harry, how are we going to figure out who R.A.B. is? He's--he's dead," Hermione questioned. At this Harry smiled pulled a very old looking paper out of the book and put it down in front of her. She gasped in revelation, "Oh! I can't believe I didn't see this sooner! Sirius's brother. It fits—but how can we be sure?"

"The 'A' is for Alphard—after his uncle, or Arcturus—his grandfather. Look," Harry, moving on, turned the paper over. "We have to go here." He pointed to a name circled on the back of the paper then to one of the circled places on the map. Malumeed. "He stayed there for a space while doing work for Voldemort." At this Ron's face went pale, Ginny's jaw dropped slightly and Hermione grew nervous.

"We—we can't go there!" Ron said outright, frightened at the thought.

"Why not? It's not very far." Harry didn't understand.

"Harry, Malumeed is a very dangerous place. I've read about it, a lot of dark magic is linked to that town. I don't think..." Hermione was cut off.

"I have to! You don't need to follow me, I can go it alone. You can turn back any time, I've told you that. But this is what I have to do to stop him."

"No, no," Hermione sounded unconvinced. "I'll come—you know I would never leave you to do this alone."

"I'm not leaving you either," Ginny chimed in. They all looked to Ron, whose face was just regaining its colour.

"Well…"

"Ronald!" Hermione and Ginny scold in unison.

"Oh, alright." Ron was defeated.

"It's settled then, we leave when night falls." Harry rolled the map, replacing it and the book in his bag. He pulled out a few sweets—some of the lasts in there reserves--which they shared before all returning to sleep, preparing for the long night ahead.

---

A dark foreboding fog hung over the small town; all was silent around it. The dilapidated buildings looked as though they had been uninhabited for decades.

"Is there even anyone here?" Ginny asked; just as she did a clocked figure walked out of the nearest building, a scream came from a distant one.

"Yes, I think someone's here, Gin," Ron gulped.

Ginny grasped on to Harry's arm in fear. "Let's go," she said trying to sound brave. They started to walk toward the narrow stone street.

"Wait!" Hermione grabbed Harry's arm. They all turned to her. "We can't just walk through there like this. Harry, everyone knows who you are. Every death eater in Europe is looking for you. We need—oh, I don't know—disguises or something," She thought for a moment then pointed her wand at herself. "There," she was satisfied with her new straight blonde hair and bright blue eyes. 'It doesn't suit her,' was Ron's first thought.

"Good thinking." Harry followed Hermione's lead. His hair was light brown and his eyes a drab grey-brown. "What do you think?" He asked.

"Well, you can still see your scar." Ginny pushed the fringe of his now manageable hair over to cover it. "That's better."

Ron was having trouble with his own looks. He had never mastered self transfiguration. Hermione giggled a little at his attempts; his hair was now a deep green and his eyes purple. "Here, here." She transfigured his hair to a dark brown and his eyes to match. "Alright now, Ginny, you too." With Ginny's hair a dark brown as well and her eyes a grey-blue, they all rapped their cloaks around them and moved into the town.

The street was dark and dirty. The undisregardable smell of blood hung in the air. No one spoke. Whispers that seemed to have no origin floated ominously through the air. All the seemingly empty shop windows were clouded with years of debris, the light of a candle could occasionally been seen through the dirty film. Ginny grabbed on to Harry's arm once again and dug her nails into his arm.

"Agh, Gin, its ok." Harry tried to keep his voice low. She loosened her grasp. They walked until they found the only building that seemed inhabited. The Malumeed Pub. The sign swung in the breeze, holing on by one rusty chain. The stopped and Harry reached for the door knob.

"We're—we're going in—in there?" Ron was scared.

"Unless you plan on staying out here in the street." Harry started inside followed closely by Hermione and Ginny.

Ron sighed, 'What have I got myself into.' He caught the door just before it closed and walked inside hesitantly. The others were already at a table. The table was tilted on the uneven dirt floor and covered in a thick layer of grime like the rest of the pub. It smelled strongly of mold and whiskey. The other inhabitants were on the other side of the small room hidden in the shadows. There was a tall man hunched over a table talking to a very small very round man, both had their cloaks covering them. Three others were nearly invisible in the blackness of the corner of the room. He sat down. The chair was sticky. "Argh." Ron was up drawing attention to them.

"Ron! Ronald," Hermione said through gritted teeth, trying not to speak to loudly. "Sit down you're drawing attention to us. Stop." He obliged.

"Sorry," he whispered, still disgusted at the unknown substance on his chair. 'Why do I always have to screw up and get her mad at me?'

Harry got up suddenly and walked to the bar. He sat down there as a huge bald man walked out from the back room.

"What'll yah 'ave," the man grunted.

"Two fire whiskeys and two butter beers," Harry said, sounding more confident than he really was. The man laughed a deep eerie laugh.

"We ain't got no butter beer 'ere."

"Four fire whiskeys then."

"Two galleons," the man growled as he filled four cloudy glasses. He put them down on the bar as Harry put down the gold pieces and turned to go back to the room behind the bar.

"Did you know Regulus Black?" Harry asked rather loudly, all heads turned to look at him.

The man turned back, "What's it to you," he said with a grimace.

"He's the friend of a friend, that's all. Heard he was from 'round here." He had lowered his voice now but all eyes were still on him, all ears trying to listen to the conversation.

"Shouldn't be goin' 'round asking bought Black. Not everyone's a friend." He turned and disappeared into the back room. Realizing his mistake Harry grabbed the glasses and went back to his table. The others were silent.

"Got nothing?" Ginny asked.

"He knows something; he's just not going to talk to me."

"What is this?" Hermione was holding her glass up sniffing the amber liquid.

"Fire whiskey," Ron said downing his glass in one gulp. Hermione gave him a disapproving glance. "Calm my nerves," he said; she wasn't satisfied but allowed him to take her's as well.

Just then, one of them men sitting in the shadows walked over to them; his face was completely hidden by his cloak. "Looking to find out about Regulus Black, eh?"

"Yes." Harry had a difficult time suppressing his enthusiasm.

"Come with me." Harry jumped up immediately. The others looked at one another, unsure of the mysterious man. They all got up and followed refusing to leave Harry.

The man led them out the back door of the pub, into an alley. He seemed to glide rather than walk; Harry was the only one who didn't notice this peculiarity. They went to a rather large building at the end of the alleyway, a few of the topmost windows were broken and there was a density to the darkness inside that frightened the group immensely. The man lit a few candles and led them to a large oaken table in the center of the room they were led to. He put down his hood to reveal a scared face with a dreadfully crooked nose and a tangled mess of thin brown hair.

"What do you want to know?" The few teeth he had left were yellowed and his breath was heavy with the stench of gin and decay.

"What can you tell us?" Harry requested coolly.

The man toothless grin grew wider. "Black lived just upstairs here before they came for him. I remember that night like it were yesterday. I was sleepin' in that chair there by the fire when I hear a crashing sound outside me window. They forced they way in—the four 'a dem. They start shootin' all kind of dark spells everywhere and run up the stair teh get 'im. I heard Black yell, but he weren't one teh go witout a fight. Held on for a'leas an hour, he did. But they got 'im; carried his mangled body out wit 'em. Big black dog came down a little while after too—never saw it go in—had somethin' in its mouth though." Harry looked at them he was grinning slightly at the possibility of a lead.

"Sirius?" Hermione whispered, she was grinning too.

"Can go up there if you wan' teh—no one's been up there since he's gone." Harry jumped up immediately.

"Thanks."

"Yeah, yeah," The man called behind them.

The door at the top of the stairs was falling off its hinges held up by board that was nailed to it and the door frame. Harry pried off the board and pushed the door. It fell with a bang. Ginny jumped. "Be careful."

The walked inside, the floor creaked and buckled dangerously. The plaster on the walls was peeling and covered, in places, with a brownish splatter. It appeared to be blood- seventeen year old blood. "Argh," Ron complained. A spider crawled across the floor in front of him; he jumped a foot in the air and hid behind Hermione. "We're not actually going in here. Are we?"

"Oh yes we are," Ginny answered grabbing his arm and pulling him in.

"Honestly, Ronald. It's only a spider," Hermione said pushing him as Ginny pulled.

Harry already had his wand lit and was exploring the front room. "I think we're staying the rest of the night," He said surely; ignoring the response he got from Ron. He walked into the only other room in the small flat, the bedroom; the others followed. Hermione lit the half burnt candles in the sconces on the wall. There was a bed in the corner, its stray mattress sagged in the middle, there was a chair on the opposite wall stacked high with cobwebbed, molded books; the whole room was covered in a think coating of dust. There was a single window—completely smashed.

"Well I vote we stay on the floor in the front room." Ginny was not about to test out the molded, yellowed sheets.

"Good idea." Hermione and Ginny left the bedroom, Ron was close behind.

"I'm just going to look around a bit." Harry went straight over to the books. He wiped the dust off the top one and opened it. 'Defense against the Dark arts? That's strange?' Harry put this one in his bag. The rest were all of very dark, ancient magic none of which seemed useful; except the last one. It wasn't a very large book but Harry noticed a bookmark. He opened it to the marked page it was entitled The Horcrux. Harry's heart nearly jumped out of his chest. There were notes in all the margins; the ink was faded making it difficult to see; He'd need the daylight to read it but he couldn't wait. The bookmark was also written on in the same curvy black lettering. He turned it over hoping there would be more. It was a picture. Intrigued, Harry shone the light of his wand over it. It was of Regulus—and Sirius; he was no older than 15 and looking severely aggravated by his younger brother. Harry's heart sank immediately; that night in the department of mysteries came rushing back to him. 'If it wasn't for me he'd be here right now; he would know what to do. He would be alive. It is all my fault.' His eyes were welling now; he threw the book violently. It hit the wall with a loud bang; the wall sconce fell with it extinguishing the candle.

"Harry?" Hermione rushed in with a very worried Ginny and frightened Ron.

"What." He said harshly as he fought back his tears. Ginny rushed over.

"Oh, Harry. What's--" she leaned in to hug him but he pushed her away. They watched him as he stormed out of the room.

"I'M A BLOODY MURDERER!" He yelled—they all just stared.